Day 1 - tips for sticking to this? :)

EleniSylvia
EleniSylvia Posts: 6 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hey everyone - this is my first day here and I REALLY want this to be different to my other attempts to lose weight and improve my health. If anyone has any pointers, I would love to hear them.

Nice to meet you,

Eleni :)

Replies

  • jbrooks3645
    jbrooks3645 Posts: 76 Member
    I'm just starting my journey also. Some good advice i was given already is slow and steady wins the race. That's why I set mfp from losing 2lbs a week to 1 lb a week I think that's the reason I failed at this b4. Trying to lose alot fast then giving up when it got too hard to stay under a low amount of calories a day.
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Hi and welcome! Read the stickies at the top. Loads of good info.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,417 Member
    I'd say log your food. Everything you eat for at least a week.

    Study your food diary like there's going to be a test.

    The pop quiz will occur when you step on the scale. :)

    Welcome to the forums.
  • dharma842
    dharma842 Posts: 7 Member
    Just focus on tracking. Make as much yourself as you can and track EVERYTHING. I have a few fries from my boyfriends plate, yep tracking 0.05 of his mc Donald's fries. Lately I've been trying to plan my meals and put them in in the am, so I know how much wiggle room I can have and there's no surprises. I also always learned to over estimate what you've had. Assume 100 cals in either direction, it never hurts.
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member

    Log EVERYTHING.
    Don't JUST weigh (with a scale is best) everything you eat, also write why you are eating it (i.e, lunchtime, hungry, kind of bored, out with friends, watching tv) and how you are feeling right before, right after and an hour after (hungry, comfortable, normal, full, very full bloated, drowsy, OMG I am so damn sick of this crap I want to throw the whole plate out a window, etc).
    This gives you a baseline pattern for your normal habits and routine. From there, it's just a matter of experimenting. Are you very full after dinner? Cut back on a few things. Does lunch leave you bloated and gassy after an hour, try less or no mayo, and see if there's something you don't mind dropping each meal (fries, or cheese, or maybe only 2 tacos instead of 3).Are you starving an hour after dinner?Maybe more fats during.
    It's amazing how quickly these small and easily sustainable changes will add up to big calorie cuts. Only cut one or two things at a time, until they become habit instead if trying to do everything at once. That way they become individual habits instead of one big "diet".
    Break things down into individual behaviors and habits. Instead of looking at this as an all at once, or all or nothing proposition, find ways to break things down into smaller and more sustainable habits. That makes it much easier to pinpoint where something is not working, and fix it, rather than staring at the whole jumbled mess of NOT WORKING. Plus, when you do backslide, you are less likely to drop everything, just one or two habits, that can then be fixed again. Otherwise, trying to everything at once, means that you are likely to leave out something important (like weighing food), and pay excessive attention to things that aren't. (Like fiber drinks and vinegar)
    Don't demonize foods that don't actually make you feel bad. Obviously if you have food sensitivities avoid those things, but don't cut out all your favorite goodies because they are not "healthy". Think of your calories as a type of currency. You should purchase the nutrient rich stuff first, budget for regular treats, and don't waste any calories on stuff you hate, even if it is theoretically good for you.
  • 2essie
    2essie Posts: 2,861 Member
    Make friends. I have a few really good friends on here. We help each other through in bad times and cheer each other on in good times. I have lost over 40lbs but couldn't have done it without the help of friends. Also what everyone above said.
  • SusanUW83
    SusanUW83 Posts: 152 Member
    Make your diary visible. That helps make you more accountable to yourself, not to mention people can help you when you get stuck.
  • Saffyra
    Saffyra Posts: 607 Member
    Get a food scale and use it for everything, especially at first. You'll be shocked by what a portion actually is.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Welcome! If you want this to be different, do differently.

    So first of all - stop looking for tips, and find out how it works: Weightloss is down to nothing more than taking in fewer calories than you burn, for real, consistently, and for a long time. In other words - eat less, move more - it is exactly what we've always heard.

    Second - don't look at this as an "attempt". Eating less (and moving more - that part is optional) is something you do, or don't do. (Eating less is actually not-doing, what could be easier?!)

    Third - don't overcomplicate - losing weight if you're overweight, will in itself improve your health. To be able to eat less for long enough to lose any weight, you have to eat healthily, but you can, and should, do that in a way that suits your preferences, your values, and your schedule. This is where "tips" come in, and other people's tips, as well as cookiecutter tips, tend to make it harder, instead of easier. So, it all comes together. It's more complex, but also way simpler, than we've been lead to believe.
  • nikkichenlife
    nikkichenlife Posts: 13 Member
    I get a lot of friends and open my diary to public so I’ll be too embarrassed to overeat

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